Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Seeds of Destruction
by RskimB
Summary: John and the turtles are having trouble finding the newer, more powerful Black Lotus. They better not underestimate them or someone could get hurt. Story is completed
1. Is Now

The TMNT and tmnt-related characters are all property of Peter Laird, Kevin Eastman, and Mirage Studios. I do not claim to own them and am only writing a fanfic containing their characters. Any additional characters are completely original and my own creations.  
  
A/N: This story is the sequel to my earlier fanfic, TMNT: Breaking the Stem, it would probably benefit you to read that story first. Also after reading this story please review or at least give me your reaction to my story, thank you.  
  
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Seeds of Destruction  
  
Is Now  
  
"Well, you see there were some obstacles that were unforeseen at the start of the invasion," Kagemi Ryu said to the faces on the videophone screen."  
  
"Give us details about these obstacles."  
  
"This will sound strange I'm sure, but there are four giant turtles who attacked the Matada headquarters with the help of a rogue member."  
  
"Rogue member? What are you idiots doing over there? You mean to tell me the top men in our organization could not stop four turtles and a helper. I thought turtles were supposed to be slow."  
  
"Not these turtles... they move faster than men at times and the rogue member he was one of best."  
  
"So the New York City branch is in pieces and now you want more men eh?"  
  
"Large numbers of the New York members here have begun to drop out of the gang since our defeat. We need to begin regrouping and start to expand before the Foot can do the same. Also, I will take care of the turtles myself should the need ever arise."  
  
"Fine, I will send a hundred new trainees as well as a Lotus senior officer."  
  
"Thank you all, I will begin to prepare for their arrivals."  
  
"Do not fail the Lotus again. We cannot tolerate or afford any more mistakes."  
  
"You can count of me; this will be the last you hear of anyone getting in the way of our plans."  
  
The videophone conversation finally ended and the screen went black. Ryu stood up and punched the wall, leaving a small dent.  
  
"Those turtles will pay for humiliating me."  
  
Three months have passed since John and the turtles defeated the Lotus and since Kyou had committed suicide. He was never seen as a martyr, but rather a failure for not being able to die in battle or kill his opponents. Now the streets are safer and gangs are less active than even before the Lotus arrived. Now both the Foot and the Black Lotus were undermanned, but the Lotus were on the road to recovery much sooner. The turtles were finally done healing from the many scars and bruises received during their battles with the Black Lotus and were taking it easy.  
  
One March afternoon the thud of fists hitting the heavy bag woke Michelangelo. Mikey stumbled toward the sounds since his eyes were still sticky from sleep. Mikey wiped the crud from his eyes and saw Raphael working away at the heavy bag and sweating hard. "Raph what are you doing?"  
  
"I'm training, what does it look like I'm doing?"  
  
"We haven't fought any worthy foes in over two months."  
  
"You can never be too ready; evil never sleeps." 


	2. Reunion

The TMNT and tmnt-related characters are all property of Peter Laird, Kevin Eastman, and Mirage Studios. I do not claim to own them and am only writing a fanfic containing their characters. Any additional characters are completely original and my own creations.  
  
Please review and give me your comments on the new chapter and thanks for reading. Reunion  
  
"Well I'm not evil and I'm tryin to sleep."  
  
"Mikey, it's one o' clock in the afternoon."  
  
"I know, so keep it down will ya."  
  
Raph stopped hitting the punching bag, but had nothing to do now. Leonardo was reading a book and Donatello was tinkering around with something. He saw Mikey snoring away and that gave him the idea to borrow his board. Raph reached under Mikey's bed to grab the board and left for the tunnels.  
  
"All right class has ended," John said.  
  
John bowed and the kids in the room did the same. They were all leaving; all of them were dressed in karate uniforms. This was because after he and the turtles broke up the Black Lotus, he went back to the dojo where he trained as a kid and got it opened up again. The dojo had been abandoned for three years before he took over because the Foot had killed his sensei. He had been killed because Shredder saw him as a problem for recruiting. After sending his brother to L.A. to live with their aunt, John pooled money from the community to open up a place where the youth could escape from gangs and learn to protect themselves. At that moment John realized there was a student there, waiting to be acknowledged.  
  
"Sorry I didn't see you there, is there something you need to ask me Michael?"  
  
"I need help sensei."  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"These guys at school are trying to get me to join the Lotus; what should I do?"  
  
"Just try to avoid them, I'll take care of the problem for you, don't worry."  
  
"What are you going to do? Whatever you do please do not mention me to those bullies!"  
  
"Micheal, I promise I will not do anything to endanger you."  
  
"Thank you for helping me, sensei."  
  
After that Micheal rushed out of the dojo, leaving John alone. John didn't feel right about planning to fight Micheal's tormenters; after all he was supposed to be advocating violence as a last resort. But whoever these bullies were it was not likely that they would listen to reason and they had to be stopped somehow. He just hoped he would be doing the right thing and not setting a bad example.  
  
John changed back into his normal clothes and tidied up the dojo a little before finally grabbing his stuff and locking up. He walked out and saw that the sun had already set, making it fairly dark by now. He slung his duffel bag over his shoulder and headed into an alley a few blocks from the dojo. After he was sure he would not be seen John lifted a manhole cover and climbed down into the sewers. John wasn't exactly sure where he was going since this was his first time going to the lair, but he hoped he could find it because he had to speak to the turtles.  
  
After only walking a few paces John heard weird a scraping noise and another he wasn't sure of. John followed the noise and saw a turtle riding a skateboard and grinding against the cement walking path. The lights were low so John had to get closer to see that the turtle was wearing a red bandana. 


	3. Now You know

The TMNT and tmnt-related characters are all property of Peter Laird, Kevin Eastman, and Mirage Studios. I do not claim to own them and am only writing a fanfic containing their characters. Any additional characters are completely original and my own creations. Please review and give me your comments on the new chapter and thanks for reading.  
  
Now You know  
  
"Hey, Raph what are you doing here?"  
  
Raph turned and finally saw that John had been standing there for a while.  
  
"Oh, John what's up? I've been over here doing nothing most day really. I was bored so I came here to grind and ride. What are you doing down in the sewers anyway?"  
  
"I need you to take me to the lair to talk to you and the others about something big."  
  
They walked to the lair and silence and saw that Donatello, Michelangelo, and Leonardo weren't doing much. Don, who had just got up from his workbench, noticed John and Raph first.  
  
"Hi, John how are you doing and what brings you to our humble abode."  
  
"I'm fine, but I need to speak to you all."  
  
Hearing this Leo and Mikey stopped what they were doing and came right over.  
  
"Ok so what's going on?" Leo asked.  
  
"The Black Lotus is beginning to recruit again."  
  
"Is that really such a big deal?" Mikey broached.  
  
"It just seems weird to me that they would start anything up again so soon after we took out their top men, they should still be licking their wounds now not taking action."  
  
"What do you think caused them started recruiting?" Don probed.  
  
"There are most likely only two reasons, the first is that they may have concocted a plan to defeat us or have someone who can beat us. They probably have some reason not to worry about us, because they would have stayed in hiding longer if they hadn't improved since the last time we fought. My second guess would be that a leader gave directions to begin recruiting, so Kagemi Ryu is probably back."  
  
"Damn, I thought we broke up the Lotus for good." Mikey said.  
  
"If the Black Lotus is growing stronger we will have to be wary," Leo warned.  
  
"This isn't good for the students at my dojo either..."  
  
"We have an even bigger worry than their strength, I mean with John on our side now, how are we gonna find the Black Lotus command center this time?" Donatello asked.  
  
"We will just have to wait until we get some clues to help us." Leonardo said.  
  
"All right I'm going to head home, if I hear anything new I'll let you know."  
  
"Hey, John wait. Take this with you." Don said.  
  
He went over to his workbench and grabbed his latest invention. John looked at, but didn't understand what it was for.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"It's a portable communication that allows instantaneous contact among anyone else who has one. I've only got two done so far, but the rest should be ready sometime soon. It can also be used as a telephone or radio and can even be used to search the Internet. Also it's equipped with a tracer and can self-destruct if needed. Use it to call us with any info that isn't worth a trip here."  
  
"Thanks, Don I really appreciate it."  
  
"No prob."  
  
"Uh, by the way what is it called anyway?"  
  
"I call it the S-Link, that's is short for Sewer Link.  
  
As John walked away with his S-Link the turtles noticed that there sensei had been standing there listening.  
  
"Sensei, how long have you been standing there?" Don asked as he and the others bowed.  
  
"Long enough to hear everything. I had suspected that an evil as great as the Black Lotus would not be defeated so easily. The Black Lotus may be even more of a threat now than they were before, after all a wounded fox is more dangerous than a jackal. You will need to trust in your skills in order to stop the evil influence the Lotus are attempting to gain on the youth. However you should not let thoughts of the Black Lotus predominate your sleep. Rest well my sons you have a long road ahead of you." 


	4. A threat he could not refuse

A threat he could not refuse  
  
Only three days later Micheal was opening his locker getting books for the classes after lunch, when someone slammed it shut.  
  
"Hey, what did you do that for?" Micheal asked as he turned to see who did it.  
  
He was shocked to see the bullies from before. He stood there frozen, unable to move or speak.  
  
"You remember us don't you Mike? It's your good friends Bruce and Danny." The larger bully said.  
  
Micheal was only able to nod in response. He was terrified because he knew Lotus members could be real brutal when trying to convince stubborn people to join.  
  
"Well we gave ya three days to think it over what did you decide to do?" Bruce asked.  
  
"Um... I c-c-couldn't... I-I didn't h-"  
  
"Mike listen I know you're nervous and that's alright, but there's nothing to be worried about, the Lotus takes care of its own. Anyway you wouldn't want to hurt my feelings or Bruce's by not joining do ya?" Danny asked.  
  
Micheal shook his head vigorously at the threat, but remained silent. However Danny did not like his response, he sighed and then stared at Micheal's eyes intently.  
  
"I guess this decision is a bit overwhelming right now so Bruce and I will give you until eight thirty tonight to decide. Meet us at the basketball court near the school once you make up your mind."  
  
Micheal breathed a sigh of relief as the two walked away. However all throughout the rest of the day all he could think about was getting to the dojo and talking to his Sensei on what he should do. After what seemed to be the longest school day ever, Micheal went home to do his homework and by the time he finished it was time to leave for the dojo. After class ended he once again approached his Sensei about the Black Lotus.  
  
"Sir, I need to tell you something."  
  
"Go ahead."  
  
"The two bullies I told you about said I have until eight thirty tonight to meet them at the basketball court near the high school and make my mind up. You said that you would take care of this problem for me. I don't want to doubt your word, but I've only got an hour and a half to respond."  
  
"It's all right Michael I will talk to them, just try to hurry home and stop worrying."  
  
Micheal bowed in gratitude and raced home leaving John all alone. John changed his clothes, locked up the dojo, and began walking. Fifteen minutes later John was nearing the court and saw no one there, however there were three Asian teens in the adjacent playground. Two of them were sitting on the jungle gym and one was sitting on a swing holding a bat. He walked onto the playground and they saw him coming.  
  
"How are you guys doing?"  
  
"Get lost," the one on the swing said.  
  
"I just think that you guys should stop what you're doing and leave this place. Don't you think you're a bit old to be playing on the jungle gym or swing?"  
  
"I don't know who you think you're talking to, but you better leave before you get hurt. This is Lotus turf so I suggest you get going while you still can."  
  
"I think you guys really should go away while you still can."  
  
"All right that's it, we need to teach this loser a lesson in manners," Bruce said as he hopped off the jungle gym.  
  
"At least I tried not fighting them," John thought to himself.  
  
Danny followed him and the guy with the bat stood.  
  
"Let's get him Danny!" Bruce shouted.  
  
Bruce and Danny came at John hard, Danny delivered a fierce elbow to the chest while Bruce landed a strong blow in his abdomen. John staggered backwards a bit, but countered with a sweep kick to knock Bruce down and then clotheslined Danny. Suddenly the "bat guy" entered the fray, he ran toward John with bat high over his head. John caught the bat with one hand and his attacker's wrist with the other and kicked the side of his head. John dropped the bat and let go of the wrist and continued to kick the guy in the head and ended it with a punch to the face. The teen dropped instantly and John turned to see Bruce holding the bat he had dropped.  
  
He sprang into the air to attack, but the move was so telegraphed that John easily dodged it. However John moved so late that Bruce hit his own ally instead of John, a cracking noise was heard and it was not the bat that had cracked. He saw Bruce on his knees covering his face with his hands and the other guy howling in pain as he held his ribs.  
  
John was about to turn, but was put in a headlock. He struggled to escape and was struggling to breathe, but he wasn't doing either well. John began to elbow his attacker in the midsection and finally managed to break free. John turned around and grabbed Danny by the wrist and began to swing him in a circle until suddenly he released him and Danny flew face first into a lamppost. 


	5. Excuses and Bruises

Excuses and Bruises  
  
John turned to confront the only remaining attacker.  
  
"Stand up! This ends now, either give up or end up like your friends."  
  
He turned and glared at John, but he did as he was told. Bruce stood there with his fists balled and stared John down.  
  
"This is all your fault!" Bruce said as he ran forth to attack.  
  
Bruce swung with his left fist, but John easily stepped aside and then elbowed him in the head. Bruce turned and was met with two more elbows, only this time they were directed at his face. His nose began to drip blood, but he continued to fight undaunted. Bruce was able to catch John's neck with a Mongolian chop and finally get John on the defensive. However it was not as effective as he had hoped because John continued to fight.  
  
He tried the maneuver again, but John was expecting it; John grabbed his arm and jumped up to knee him. He went down, the knee to his chin was too much for him to take he lay unconscious sprawled on the ground. John surveyed the playground one last time before walking off, he went home feeling confident that those guys wouldn't be bothering Micheal for a while.  
  
However only three minutes later Bruce awoke regained consciousness and was able call up a Lotus official to get Danny and the other boy some medical attention from doctors working for the Black Lotus. Danny was treated for a mild concussion and the other boy for broken ribs. After getting bandaged and stopping his nose from bleeding, Bruce went to room where Ryu normally presiding to give him a briefing on the night's events.  
  
"How did all of this happen ?"  
  
"Two other Lotuses and I were awaiting a possible recruit in the park when a stranger attacked us. Please do not be angry, although we may have outnumbered him his skills were nowhere near our level."  
  
Ryu sighed and thought to himself, "Are all these New York members destined to pathetic wastes of time that pale in comparison to the Japanese. Thank goodness the last of the Japanese trainees have arrived, all I need now is that senior officer and the Black Lotus will be unstoppable once more."  
  
"All right describe how he fought as well as his appearance."  
  
"He was skilled I can tell ya that much, he fought using martial arts but didn't use any particular type. He was quick and aware, his attacks were fairly strong as well. As for his looks there's not much to say, black hair, brown eyes, no scars or distinguishing features, he was young though between the ages of seventeen to twenty one, really all I can say I that he's Asian."  
  
"Did you or any of the others provoke him into fighting?"  
  
"That's the strange thing about his attack we gave him an opportunity to leave, but he said we should leave then he mocked us. Then we gave him another chance to escape, but he did the same so we thought we'd show him whose boss and fought. He didn't even seem intimidated when we said he was on Black Lotus territory."  
  
"Hmm... this might be an important piece of information. This 'man' approaches you and warns that you should leave the park for no apparent reason and he was not even intimidated by the fact that he was on Lotus ground. I find that strange because even the police and the Foot fear us, I will have to get to the bottom of this when the opportunity presents itself. Ah yes I almost forgot, did the recruit ever show?"  
  
"I stayed after our men came to pick up the two injured members and left when only fifteen minutes were left till the deadline."  
  
"While that is cutting it close we need all the bodies we can get so make sure you find the boy tomorrow and make sure he joins."  
  
"Yes sir. I'll make sure he does."  
  
"Did you or any of the others provoke him into fighting?"  
  
"That's the strange thing about his attack we gave him an opportunity to leave, but he said we should leave then he mocked us. Then we gave him another chance to escape, but he did the same so we thought we'd show him whose boss and fought. He didn't even seem intimidated when we said he was on Black Lotus territory."  
  
"Hmm... this might be an important piece of information. This 'man' approaches you and warns that you should leave the park for no apparent reason and he was not even intimidated by the fact that he was on Lotus ground. I find that strange because even the police and the Foot fear us, I will have to get to the bottom of this when the opportunity presents itself. Ah yes I almost forgot, did the recruit ever show?"  
  
"I stayed after our men came to pick up the two injured members and left when only fifteen minutes were left till the deadline."  
  
"While that is cutting it close we need all the bodies we can get so make sure you find the boy tomorrow and make sure he joins."  
  
"Yes sir. I'll make sure he does."  
  
The following day Micheal was in the bathroom at school washing his hands, when he saw Bruce in the mirror. Bruce looked so even more dangerous now that he didn't have Danny there to curb his emotions. Micheal turned off the faucet and dried his hands with some paper towels and turned slowly trying to think of some plausible lies.  
  
"I didn't see you yesterday Mike, what happened?"  
  
"I was there, I got there like ten minutes before the deadline. My mom she wouldn't me leave until I fed her some crap about getting some homework help from a friend."  
  
Bruce didn't believe him, but he said nothing.  
  
"So I guess you're ready to join then?"  
  
"I'm ready as I'll ever be."  
  
"Fine. Go to the abandoned plastics warehouse tomorrow at nine and I will see you there."  
  
He nodded and Bruce finally left the bathroom. Micheal checked the mirror and saw he was soaked with sweat.  
  
"Crap Bruce probably saw right through me, I'll have to be careful tomorrow."  
  
The school day sped by and before he knew it Micheal was in the middle of karate class. The class was learning defense and counter techniques; most were basic, but very effective. Once again Micheal stayed after a session to talk to his Sensei about problems with the Lotus.  
  
"Sensei, I don't mean to doubt you, but I thought you'd said you would end my problems?"  
  
"I did, at first I tried talking, but that didn't work so they attacked me. One of them injured their own member, another ran into a pole, and the last guy he..." "Ahh nothing happened to the last guy! Micheal I'm sorry to put you into this mess."  
  
"You got rid of Danny, but missed Bruce so I had to join, I had no choice. Now I have to meet him at some warehouse tomorrow night." 


	6. Warehouse Waltz I

Warehouse Waltz (Part I)  
  
John stared blankly at Micheal as he recalled his initiation into the Black Lotus.  
  
"Micheal I'm sorry I couldn't fix your mess now you'll have to take matters into your own hands. I'm not sure what is in store for you tomorrow but just remember all that I have taught you and you will endure."  
  
"You make everything sound so simple."  
  
"With your skills and the things I taught you today you should be ready for any challenge."  
  
Micheal thanked John for his advice and left, allowing John to close the dojo and head back to that all to familiar place.  
  
John was making so many trips to the sewers lately that his eyes were growing accustomed to the complete darkness that occurred when the sun went down.  
  
"Hey guys its our favorite human!" Mikey said, announcing John arrival.  
  
The turtles greeted John and then let him speak.  
  
"I've got good and bad news fellas."  
  
"Let's hear the bad news first," Donatello said.  
  
"Bad news is one of my students was forced into the Black Lotus. However the good news is that because of this we may be able to find the new Black Lotus hideout."  
  
"This time we must make sure to end the Black Lotus' stay in the city," Leo said.  
  
"You gonna tail the kid?" Raph asked.  
  
"There's no sense in putting him at any added risk if we are spotted together. And anyway how would you guys be able to find the place if I got caught."  
  
"Good point."  
  
"When I get the location from him I'll be back here to tell you guys."  
  
Micheal had a hard time convincing his mother that he wasn't sick when went to bed so early. He checked his clock and saw that it was eight o' clock. After he was sure his mom wasn't coming back to his room he climbed out his window and unlocked his bike chain. Micheal got on and pedaled fast because he wasn't sure how far the warehouse actually was. Forty-five minutes later he arrived at the warehouse and was screened by the doorman. Micheal was astonished at the sight of this place, right in front of him was a ring and there were hundreds of Lotuses and newcomers here.  
  
Everyone was cheering at the action going on in the ring, so Micheal got closer to see what was happening. Inside was a kid his age getting the life beat out of him, the boy was bleeding around his eyes and wasn't even standing on his own. Micheal would have got in there and tried to stop the match if he wasn't so badly outnumbered, there was no way he could help. From out of nowhere Bruce joined him and smiled, "Looks like we're going a little early."  
  
Two uniformed members entered the ring and carried the kid out. Micheal couldn't believe how much blood was on the mat, there was blood splattered in every direction and every spot on the mat. He and Bruce finally entered into the ring and were approached by someone.  
  
"There are only three rules in this match: no weapons, no cheating, and someone has to get knocked out. You will begin when the bell is struck."  
  
He stepped out of the ring and almost immediately a bell sounded. Bruce and Micheal just stood there and glared at each other.  
  
"I know you didn't show up that night and I'm gonna prove you the liar you really are!"  
  
Micheal ran forward and kicked, but Bruce easily dodged his attack. Bruce bounced off the ropes and dropkicked him, exactly like a wrestler might have. Bruce got to his feet quickly, grabbed Micheal by the thigh, and began to stomp away on it mercilessly. Micheal kicked Bruce with his free leg and broke free of his hold. He closed in on Bruce and jabbed him continuously in the face until he started hitting Bruce with open palmed strikes that were forcing him backwards, into the ropes. Micheal then knocked Bruce out of with a dropkick he certainly was not expecting.  
  
He flipped over and crashed to the floor below and just lay there trying to catch his breath before going back. As he slowly rose and then rolled into the ring Micheal had already been positioned on top of a turnbuckle. When Bruce got to his feet Micheal jumped to execute his attack, however his chest met Bruce's boot. While Micheal was still on the mat, gasping and trying to recover his breath, Bruce ran to the ropes, bounced off, and then hit Micheal with a mean elbow drop. Bruce pulled him up by his shirt and rapped his head with his knuckles. Micheal, with catlike flexibility escaped from his shirt and surprised Bruce.  
  
He struck Bruce with an elbow to the gut, spun around him, and then elbowed him again, only this time in the back. Quickly before Bruce even turned around, Micheal used the ropes to help him slide into Bruce's legs, which caused him to fly face first into the mat. Micheal's next move was even quicker, he darted to the top of the closest turnbuckle and jumped off and was able to connect his leg with Bruce's neck. Bruce got up quicker than he expected and before he knew it he was trapped in a bear hug.  
  
Although this move was powerful Bruce committed two costly mistakes; the first was that Micheal was facing him and second even worse than that was that his hold was far too low and Micheal's arms were free. Micheal assaulted Bruce's face with a flurry of punches. Bruce released his hold, but instantly slung him into a corner turnbuckle and charged after him into the corner to deliver a massive body slam. Micheal fell and Bruce picked him up and punched his eye, but Micheal responded with a punch to Bruce's jaw. Micheal landed a spin kick to Bruce's which was so strong that spit flew from his mouth and he flew as well, hitting the mat with a noisy thud. All of a sudden the crowd who had been silent the whole match had erupted into to cheers for Micheal. 


	7. Warehouse Waltz Part II

Warehouse Waltz (Part II)  
  
The man Micheal had met earlier that night entered the ring and declared him the winner. As they both exited the ring the spotlight was directed toward the catwalk, where a man with a microphone was standing.  
  
"Let me just welcome the new members and also congratulate them for accomplishing what they did in the ring. For all you new members out there I am Kagemi Ryu, chief officer of the Black Lotus. I bring big news to everyone present, our plans for domination of the city will move forward thanks to the arrival of Lotuses from Japan who will help us deal with our reptile problem. To the new members initiated tonight I want to tell you that you are entering into something greater than you are, something which may allow some of you to reach greatness."  
  
He walked away and the spotlight returned to the ring.  
  
"What do I do next?" Micheal asked the announcer.  
  
"After passing the initiation you'll begin training for rank determination, however that's not for another couple of days. Don't worry our members will find you when you're needed."  
  
Micheal thanked him for his help and pedaled home as fast as possible. By the time he got home it was close to eleven. After a slow weekend crawled by Micheal was in a hurry to describe to his Sensei what had happened.  
  
"After I beat Bruce their leader umm... something Ryu said Japanese Lotus members arrived to help out in the city. I think he also said that the Japanese Lotuses are here to fight some lizards or reptiles or something so they can takeover."  
  
"The best thing you can do for now is to stay away from them unless they're at your front door. Uh, where did you say this place was?"  
  
"I was fighting at the old plastics warehouse. Why?"  
  
"I've got a friend who's a cop, he might believe me if I told him about this," John lied.  
  
After Micheal left John closed the dojo in a rush and raced to the lair and told the turtles of Ryu's renewed aggressiveness.  
  
"I think we should strike tonight, the sooner we do the better."  
  
"Yeah we can't give them anytime time to prepare their forces," Donatello added.  
  
The others agreed and they loaded up on shurikens and grabbed their own weapons before exiting. Soon they were walking down a tunnel that would lead them directly to their destination. An hour and a half later they stood only a few yards away from the warehouse. Leo moved the manhole out of the way and he and everyone else climbed out of the sewers. There were two guards at the door who were easily taken care of by Michelangelo and Donatello thanks to a diversionary trick.  
  
"That was easy," Mikey grinned. They walked through the front door and noticed that the whole warehouse was lit and there were Black Lotuses everywhere.  
  
"Whoa they're are a lot of these guys!"  
  
"Hey it's those green freaks!"  
  
Anyone who hadn't already seen them was now staring at John and the turtles. Three rookies tried to attack Donatello and he whacked all three with his bo-staff and they all fell to the ground. Meanwhile Michelangelo had his shell pinned against a wall because to Lotuses had forced him backward. One thrust his fist forward to punch Mikey, but he jerked his head out of the way. He quickly shoved the Lotuses into each other and kicked them away.  
  
John and Raph helped each other take on the groups of Lotuses attacking them. A rookie jumped forward to attack and Raph stabbed him badly and then knocked two more to the ground with a turning kick. John flipped an assailant onto his growing pile of 'fallen' Lotuses. Another Lotus charged at him and he delivered a shattering blow to the attacker's Adam's apple. John held out his hands to act as a springboard and Raph leapt on top of them and sprung off doing a three sixty kick, knocking out three people.  
  
Leonardo in the meantime was battling with an instructor and had a big advantage, his dual katanas. The instructor didn't even have a chance, before he knew it his neck had been sliced. Even though badly outnumbered John and the turtles were hardly being challenged by these under trained Americans. Suddenly the spotlight was shining on Ryu, who was once again standing up on the catwalk.  
  
"These creatures are my bane; you pathetic fools should stand aside and let me deal with my 'problems' myself. Leave us now!"  
  
Within seconds the room was vacated and from the place where everyone left someone emerged.  
  
"Meet the toughest bastard you will probably fight other than me, the 'Lion' " Ryu chuckled.  
  
"Looks like we're gonna have to split up to take these guys on," Raph said.  
  
"Fine, Raph and John fight this Lion guy, the rest of us will take care of Ryu," Leonardo ordered.  
  
Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Donatello climbed up the ladder that led to the catwalk as fast as possible.  
  
"Stay back, there isn't much space," Leo warned Don and Mike.  
  
Leo inched forward to face Ryu and readied his katanas. For the first time Leo was able to see him face to face. Ryu's face was marked by a deep scar, which stretched from his right ear to his forehead. His slicked back brown hair looked greasy and he was already sweating. "Get ready to die!" Leo screamed. Ryu quickly moved into action and leapt up and grabbed a dangling chain with both hands and kicked Leo's chest with enough force to make him drop his katanas. Ryu let go of the chain and continued to attack. He once again kicked Leo in the chest and then closed in to deliver a left hook to Leo's jaw. Leo fought back and began clubbing Ryu's gut and jaw with his fists. Then he gave Ryu a quick knee to the gut and grabbed him by the neck with his right hand.  
  
Leonardo slammed Ryu's head into the railing, but was stopped from repeating it thanks to an elbow to the face. The bleeding had not yet begun on Ryu's forehead, but there was a big bruise just waiting to explode open with another hit the same spot. He turned around and shoved Leo backward into the other railing. He stopped early and kicked Ryu back into the railing, Ryu jumped up and grabbed the chains once more and began kicking furiously at Leo's face. Leo blocked most of the strikes however and yanked Ryu down.  
  
Leo was tripped instantly and Ryu got up to stomp away on Leo's shell. Leo rolled out of the way of the next hit and then stood; however they both hesitated before attacking again. Both were a bit fatigued and wore the damage of each other's blows. Ryu charged forward and knocked Leonardo back into the railing, but did not attack with enough force. He was close to teetering over so Ryu tried to shove him once again, but Leo grabbed and speedily heaved him over the railing at the same moment he was falling back. Somehow Leo nimbly grabbed onto the ledge of the catwalk and Ryu luckily grabbed hold of Leo's ankle. 


	8. Intermission

Intermission  
  
"Leo are you all right, you're limping."  
  
"My knee is bruised but I'm sure it will heal up by tomorrow."  
  
They traveled the rest of the way in silence not wanting mention the events that passed. After reaching the lair Donatello determined that Michelangelo's wrist was sprained and would be out of action at least three weeks. Raphael and John were lucky to only escape from Lion with only soreness. Donatello taped up and then wrapped Michelangelo's wrist and made him promise not to go into any more battles until the wrist healed properly.  
  
"There has to be a way that we can beat Lion!" John yelled.  
  
Master Splinter emerged from his room hearing this and approached to give the turtles and their friend counsel.  
  
"As elementary as it may seem you must remember to have patience with a situation as difficult as the one you are currently undertaking. This is only the second time in your young lives that you have faced an opponent more skilled than yourselves and only the second time that you have lost in battle--"  
  
"How are we gonna beat someone you say is more skilled than us?" Raph interrupted.  
  
"Do not let that deter you Raphael, skill is not everything. An opponent with more skill is not unbeatable. You have to use your own personal skills to make things easier for yourselves. For example if he is too strong for you to overcome make it so that he cannot use his strength against you. Also if you know and believe that you can end the Black Lotus' evil from spreading than you should be able to. Remember nobody is unbeatable everyone has strength or weakness that will allow him to beat or be beaten by almost anyone on any given day."  
  
Splinter returned to his room and John left shortly after, leaving the turtles alone to talk amongst themselves.  
  
"Do you think the Black Lotus will relocate to another place since we discovered their pad?" Mikey asked.  
  
"Hard to say, but Lion seemed like a pretty cocky guy and I'm guessing he's in charge now so I'll say they will probably stay where they are." Donatello answered.  
  
Early in the morning that next day Lion was on the videophone talking to an official who was at the top of the Black Lotus organization.  
  
"Ryu is dead."  
  
"How did this occur?"  
  
"Yesterday he was fighting with one of the turtles and the turtle knocked him off from a great height."  
  
"Really? Oh well this is of no consequence he was to be replace as number one Chief Officer soon anyway. I never did like that weakling, he made far too many excuses for his many shortcomings the turtle did us all a favor. Anyway did the turtles manage to defeat you as well?"  
  
"No they weren't even close, they weren't too much too handle. I still can't get over the fact that Ryu could not defeat such weak creatures."  
  
"So did you kill them then?"  
  
"Sorry sir, I was unable to they escaped before I had the chance. Also I forgot to mention that the traitor still seems to be fighting alongside with them."  
  
"He is a product of Ryu's inferior recruitment processes no doubt. Try to see if you can track down anyone who knew him while he was if us, it will be good to get one enemy out of the way until you face the turtles again."  
  
"Yes sir he will be dealt with, the turtle problem will be over with before long."  
  
His superior nodded and ended the conversation.  
  
That same morning all the turtles were already awake and discovered that Leo's knee was in worse condition than he had thought, it still hurt a lot and the bruise had grown larger overnight.  
  
"Looks like it'll just be me, Donny, and John tonight," Raph said.  
  
"Actually Raph I think we wait a day to recover, to give ourselves more time to prepare," Don said.  
  
John was at the dojo a way earlier than usual trying to prepare for another encounter with Lion, when suddenly he heard a loud crashing sound. The door to his dojo had been knocked down and four Lotuses were standing motionless. Two of them moved so fast that John had no time to react when they pinned him against the wall. However he broke free of their hold before the others could take advantage of the opportunity. He flipped both of them on their backs and then gave both of them a shoe to their chests. Then he had to deal with the other two, he leapt forward, kicking one in the ribcage and while landing he punched the other guy in the eye.  
  
Then he simultaneously punched them in the stomach and struck them both on their backs, knocking them to the floor. The other two Lotuses got back to their feet and one of them grabbed John from behind and held him firmly. The one in front of him began pounding away at his abdomen for an innumerable amount of time, but as he changed his attack and swung at John's face John jerked his head out of the way and the ninja hit his partner. John was released and as the Lotus clutched his face in pain, he elbowed them both. 


	9. Party and Pyrotechnics

Party and Pyrotechnics  
  
John was at the dojo much earlier than usual trying to prepare for another encounter with Lion, when suddenly he heard a loud crashing sound. The door to his dojo had been knocked down and four Lotuses were standing motionless. Two of them moved so fast that John had no time to react when they pinned him against the wall. However he broke free of their hold before the others could take advantage of the opportunity. He flipped both of them on their backs and then gave both of them a shoe to their chests. Then he had to deal with the other two, he leapt forward, kicking one in the ribcage and while landing he punched the other guy in the eye.  
  
Then he simultaneously punched them in the stomach and struck them both on their backs, knocking them to the floor. The other two Lotuses got back to their feet and one of them grabbed John from behind and held him firmly. The one in front of him began pounding away at his abdomen for an innumerable amount of time, but as he changed his attack and swung at John's face John jerked his head out of the way and the ninja hit his partner. John was released and as the Lotus clutched his face in pain, he elbowed them both.  
  
He followed that attack up with a sweep kick to put them on their backs. Another Lotus stood and attacked, but John easily tossed him onto one of the already fallen Lotuses. Now only one Black Lotus left standing, he was pretty cocky as well because he motioned for John to initiate his attack. John raced forward and swung at the Lotus ninja, but his punch was successfully avoided thanks to the Lotus ducking in time. The Lotus member turned and punched the back of John's head and then kneed him from behind. John turned rapidly to face his attacker and then shoved him back a little to create some more space between them. John dealt three crushing kicks to the Lotus member's stomach and then finished him off with an open palmed strike to the chest.  
  
"I needed a decent workout, but I wish they would have knocked," John said while trying to catch his breath and staring at his broken door.  
  
John called the cops, who arrested the Lotus and asked him a few questions, before putting up a closed sign and putting the door back in its place for the time being. John decided it would be best to stay turtles until Lion and the Black Lotus were finally defeated. He grabbed a few things from his apartment and then headed down to the lair.  
  
"Welcome back, why are back here so soon?" Mikey said when he saw John entering.  
  
"I was attacked at my dojo not too long ago so I think I should lay low and hang with you guys for awhile. I hope that the Black Lotus don't decide to go after any of my students, they'll probably be combing all of Chinatown in search of me."  
  
"Don't worry too much, there isn't anything you can do but believe that things will turn out ok," Leonardo advised. John knew Leo was right so he said nothing else.  
  
As Micheal heard the bell ring to end school he looked around and realized that he had not seen Bruce since he had beat him in the initiation match. In fact, he was grateful that the people who were supposed to contact him about starting training never showed. He got his books into his bag and shut his locker and then began walking home, Micheal was walking on his normal route home which took him past the dojo he saw a huge black billow of smoke rise into the air from only a few blocks away. Micheal ran toward the source and once he arrived there he was in dismay. His beloved dojo was on fire and the intense flames engulfed the building all over.  
  
Suddenly an irrational thought came to him, "What if Sensei is inside?"  
  
Logic told him that it was unlikely, but fear won over logic and Micheal thought of the impending death of his Sensei. Micheal didn't know if the building would be able to hold up long enough for him to alert the fire department and them to put out the blaze.  
  
"He has a better chance of surviving if I go in now instead of the firemen later."  
  
He kicked down the door and the already vulnerable door fell easily and even though he had not even stepped foot into building he could feel the heat on his face. Micheal was about to enter into the uncontrollable blaze when a large crossbeam and other flaming debris fell down blocking the doorway for entry.  
  
"N-," Micheal began to say but stopped when heard the booming horn of a fire truck and its siren as well.  
  
The firemen got out of the truck and one of them asked if Micheal was all right, the got a hose and tried stopping the fire, but by now nothing could be done. The building collapsed and that was when Micheal finally began thinking rationally again. Looking at his watch he saw that school had ended only forty minutes ago. He realized he had been too anxious about his Sensei's safety and jumped to conclusions. Class didn't even begin start for another two hours and twenty minutes; John wouldn't be at the dojo this early. Micheal shook his head at his own foolishness and continued walking home.  
  
Later, during the evening John and the turtles were watching the news and saw a blackened, smoldering, and collapsed building being shown.  
  
"... Yes apparently someone had a motive for burning the local dojo; there is sufficient proof for this. The fire was started using gasoline and also Black Lotus gang members attacked the instructor here but were successfully apprehended earlier in the day," a balding old man said, answering some reporter's question.  
  
"Damn they burned down the dojo! This will leave the kids playing in the streets again, where they are easier to recruit for the Lotus." John shouted.  
  
"After tomorrow it won't mater anymore because the streets will be safe to roam again," Donatello said. 


	10. Warehouse Waltz Part III

Warehouse Waltz (Part III)  
  
Getting up the next morning the bruises and hits he had suffered yesterday and earlier were all forgotten. He stretched quickly and saw that everyone else was already awake. Michelangelo was playing videogames; Leonardo of course was meditating, Donatello working on some project, and Raphael listening to a CD. John trudged into the kitchen and opened an old pizza box.  
  
"Breakfast of champions, ha, at least I got my daily serving of fruit" he muttering as he bit down into what had to have been two to three day old mushroom and pineapple pizza.  
  
After finishing two slices he walked over to where Don was reading.  
  
"Good morning Don."  
  
"Morning."  
  
"So what time are we leaving to fight?"  
  
"I don't know somewhere around twelve I guess."  
  
"We'd probably have the element of surprise if we changed routine and attacked at seven or eight o' clock."  
  
"Fine we'll leave at seven."  
  
When it was finally seven o' clock Raphael and Donatello prepared their weapons, as well as some shurikens.  
  
"Oh yeah I almost forgot, I finished the other S-Links. Here Leo, Mikey, take these you'll need it for later," Donatello said.  
  
"Why would we need it later?" Leo asked.  
  
"When we defeat Lion we'll call you so that you can call the cops. Then they'll be able to arrest anyone found in the warehouse."  
  
"Not to mess up your brilliant plan or anything, why do I need to call when you guys will have one of these things with you?"  
  
"I'm pretty sure we'll be too busy running from the hordes of ninjas chasing after us, besides this way you'll know that we're still alive and that Lion is finally beaten."  
  
"Good point."  
  
Raph and Don took their S-Links and John already had his in his back pocket so they finally left. They traveled through the same route as before and reached their destination not too long after. Peering out of the manhole Donatello saw no lookouts and motioned for the others to follow him up. Walking through the door it seemed as if the stepped into a different building. The warehouse was finally being converted into a true hideout. There were multiple speed and heavy bags set up and weights too and the Black Lotus symbol could also be seen all over. But what mattered most was in the center of the warehouse. Lion was barking orders to Lotus grunts that were doing heavy lifting and moving furniture.  
  
"Hey Pussy we're back for rematch," Raph said as he brandished his sais.  
  
Lion snarled at the insult and glared fiercely at Raph. All the Lotus ninjas turned to see Don, John, and Raph near the exit and formed a semicircle near the far sidewall. Lion approached Raph until they were barely an arm's length away from each other. Raphael saw the big bandage on Lion's left calf and knew he had to take advantage of it. He faked an elbow to Lion's face and Lion seeing such a telegraphed move put his hands up to block. Raph immediately stabbed the bandaged calf with his sai, but could not pull it out. Lion yanked out the sai and tossed it at Raph who expertly dodged it. He jumped forward and landed a kick to Lion's chest. Lion grabbed him by the neck and began punching away at Raph's gut until he threw him into the ground. Forcing Raph to drop his remaining sai, Raph was slow to get up so Lion took advantage.  
  
He stomped on Raph's shell once, but Raph responded with a scissor trip. Raph got up before Lion could and slammed his knee onto Lion's calf. Lion reached for his calf in agony and Raph attacked again. This time he was stopped and shoved backward. Raph raced forward and recieved an elbow to the face and as he was dazed was also hit with a thunderous blow to his stomach. Lion uppercut Raph with enough force to send him flying back. Raph didn't take much time to get up and he and Lion grappled, each of them struggled for dominance. Lion was beginning to gain the upper hand, but was stopped. Raph kneed him twice and gave him a strong head butt.  
  
They broke away from each other and each took some time to breathe. Raph was first to attack; his spinning kick was blocked though. Lion flipped Raph over his head and he landed hard. He rose to his feet slowly and bombarded Lion with kicks and punches, he tried blocking them but they were too strong to block. The full force of each blow was felt and he was tiring and slowing. However he was not ready to give up and fought Raph the same way in which he was attacked. Raph ducked and avoided a couple but Lion's strikes were pretty powerful too. Lion dropped to one knee but quickly rose back.  
  
Donatello called to say that Lion was close to defeat and called Leo to let him alert the police. Raph used his knuckles and rapped away at Lion's face. Lion swung at Raph and missed badly, Raph got behind him and gave him a face plant, Lion was down for the count.  
  
"Ok lets book!" Raph yelled.  
  
Raph grabbed one of his sais and John tossed him the other as they escaped the warehouse. Donatello found a chain for the door to keep anyone from escaping. They seemed to on their way back to the sewers until they noticed someone blocking their path; it was a Black Lotus member. 


	11. Freaks Wanted

Freaks Wanted  
  
"Finally I get a shot at taking down a freak, there's no way I'm gonna lose!"  
  
"Where did you come from?" Don asked.  
  
"Does it really matter I'm here now, here to kill a freak."  
  
They stopped talking and started fighting; Donatello swung his bo staff like a bat and connected with the ninja's gut. The ninja shoved him back and while Don was trying to regain balance he was punched in the face. The Lotus attacked with three more punches and Don staggered a little. Don shoved the Lotus and attempted strike with his bo staff, but the Lotus hurdled over his head before he got the chance and drove his foot into Don's skull. Don fell to the ground and ended up dropping his weapon. The Lotus ninja grabbed Don's bo staff thrust it into Don's chest forcefully and then began to repeat the move. The ninja raised the bo staff high over his head to attack even stronger, but Don managed to roll out of harm's way.  
  
Don got back to his feet and instantly grabbed the ninja and tossed him into the warehouse wall. He didn't give the ninja a chance to move when he charged after him to unleash a fierce body slam. Don put the Lotus in a tight headlock and assumed that the battle was soon to be over, however he was wrong in his assumption. The Lotus ninja fought back with elbows to Don's midsection and finally hit Don hard enough to escape from his hold. Don palmed the ninja's head like a basketball player would with a basketball and slammed it into the wall.  
  
"Aaah!" The Lotus ninja screamed in pain, but he wasn't about to let it affect him.  
  
He elbowed Don in the face to get away from the wall and then dropkicked him, they both took some time before getting to their feet. The ninja swung, but Don grabbed the assailant's fist and punched him in the face with his free hand. All of a sudden the faint wail of several police sirens could be heard, which meant the police were coming soon. Don released the ninja's fist and smashed the ninja's head with his elbows. The Lotus ninja clutched his ears and staggered about.  
  
"Don, finish this quick we gotta get out of here," Raph urged.  
  
Raph was right the sound of the siren's was keener than before, within moments the NYPD would be all over this area. At Raph's urging Don tried to finish this quick. Don attacked the Lotus with a powerful kick to the stomach and then he ran the ninja straight into the wall, which apparently finally knocked him out. Then Donatello, Raphael, and John escaped to the sewers with just enough time that the police missed them. When they finally returned Leo gave them some time to catch their breath before asking them question about what went down at the warehouse.  
  
"How did it go?"  
  
"Lion's still alive, but he and everyone inside the warehouse are going to be behind bars for a while," Don answered.  
  
"Did the police see you?"  
  
"Are you kidding me Leo? This is New York's "finest" we're talking about, do you think that if you're not always 'supervising' we'll just go out and screw up and forget our training?"  
  
"I'm sorry, I guess you're right Don."  
  
"Do you think we have finally defeated them?" Michelangelo asked.  
  
"The Black Lotus are pretty determined to get control and set up a base so it's hard to say if they will ever give up."  
  
"Master Splinter was right when he said things were going to get tougher so I doubt they'll give up this early, we will have to be ready to take on whatever new obstacles they bring at all times," Leonardo said.  
  
Only a few days after beating Lion and the Black Lotus, John and the turtles began some intense training. They sparred with only one or two of them against two, three, and four others and they exercised and sparred with one or both of their arms tied behind their backs. Master Splinter was surprised by their initiative to train.  
  
"By learning to overcome what used to be disadvantages you can surprise opponents and take the upper hand in what normally would be a loss."  
  
He also taught them that a good defense is as crucial to battle as good offense. He showed them that they needed to use their weapons to block attacks and that the best defensive measure is not being hit at all. After a week of nonstop training they finally ended on late evening. They gathered around the couch and Don clicked on the TV and reporter Tina Chung was beginning to speak.  
  
"Once again the notorious Black Lotus gang resurfaced in the community however once again mysterious vigilantes dispatched them. As we reported not too long ago, the Black Lotus was using the abandoned plastics warehouse as their place of operation. The police received a tip from an unknown person indicating the whereabouts of a staggering number of Black Lotuses. The skeletal remains of Kagemi Ryu, who was believed to be one of the high ranking officials in the organization, was found in the furnace. Lion Kyonarei, who is believed to be the number one Chief Officer and who had only recently arrived from Japan, is expected to be out of the hospital in the next few days."  
  
"In fact there were many newly arrived Japanese members found at the warehouse, initial police reports confirmed sixty-one have been arrested and many more in hiding. There are said to be anywhere from thirty to sixty more Japanese members still loose on the streets."  
  
"Also the police wanted me to send a message to the vigilantes. They would like a meeting with you to see if you know any information that might be beneficial to them."  
  
"The city is going to try to work with customs officials to see if anything they have learned in dealing with this deadly gang will help to prevent more members from entering the country. The police do not believe the Black Lotus will just slink away from the area. The police are working with the FBI and possibly even the CIA to get the Japanese police force to crackdown on the gang over there. So that the Black Lotus will be forced to stop their North American spread because of a lack of resources and funds from intensified scrutiny due to police crackdowns. This is Tina Chung ended a live report from Chinatown and sending you back to the studio."  
  
Donatello turned the TV off and began discussing the live report.  
  
"I can't believe the police are hunting us down now. You'd think that they would be grateful for us doing their jobs twice."  
  
"Of course you know their only plotting the meeting to find out who we are and why we're fighting the Black Lotus. We will definitely have to be even more cautious than normal from now on if we go to the surface or fight the Black Lotus." Leo said. 


	12. Last Frost

Last Frost  
  
It was extremely early in the morning in Japan when the Council met. Four Asian men were sitting around a black table discussing their plans and ideas for the New York gang's takeover. Each man had equal powers on the Lotus advisory board, which was the highest level of leadership in the Black Lotus since there was no single leader in the organization. Veteran members and leaders and current councilmen would elect a new member to the Council only when an incumbent dies.  
  
Since the Council had been formed the required number of members seemed to have dropped every couple of years from, sixteen, to fourteen, to nine, to eight, then five, and finally four. The main reason was to reduce infighting, but many inside the gang said it was also because the number of truly "qualified" successors began to wane over the years. The men of the current advisory board were Hiroji Takeyama, Akira Sasaki, Biri Hotsuma, and Jie Samatsuru.  
  
"The American Lotuses are ineffectual, they are continuously being found and defeated by the mutant turtles. Even when provided with additional men and one of our best Chief Officers they still manage to be bested! We will need to take even more aggressive measures to killing the oversized reptiles," Sasaki said to the others.  
  
"If we are to have any chance of establishing ourselves in the US, we must gain control in New York. In order to do this we need to expand out of Chinatown and into the other regions of New York and also we will have to go against tradition and begin recruiting non-Asian members," Samatsuru suggested.  
  
The other members whispered to each other, trying to decide on this radical new proposal and Sasaki voiced their decision.  
  
"Fine if it means success then it is done also, to avoid any more failure I believe we should travel to New York to personally oversee our new plans." Sasaki said.  
  
After quickly conferring amongst themselves the others agreed unanimously to travel to New York.  
  
"All right then, the Council has decided to pass all suggestions and the next meeting will be in New York."  
  
The Council hurriedly chose Takeyashi Fuji as temporary decision-maker during their absence and left the Council chambers. They walked down the hall slowly and while waiting for the elevator Hotsuma smiled.  
  
"Why are you smiling?" Takeyamo asked.  
  
The door to the elevator opened so he did not answer right away but when they got inside and he said, "With the new strategy we have formed, I can't help thinking that the Black Lotus has planted the seeds to the turtles demise." 


End file.
